


The Missing Scenes

by Aloneindarknes7



Series: Start on the Right Path [6]
Category: Wander Over Yonder
Genre: Angst, Asexual Character, Canon Rewrite, Crying, Drinking, Drinking & Talking, Drinking to Cope, Episode Related, Fantasizing, Fights, Jealousy, M/M, Masturbation, Minor Canonical Character(s), Minor Violence, Mutual Pining, Past Relationship(s), Pining, Protectiveness, Sexual Fantasy, Spin the Bottle, Tears, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-20
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-10 00:41:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7823542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aloneindarknes7/pseuds/Aloneindarknes7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The missing episodes...of their relationship!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The following scenes are all, except the first one, based off of episodes of the first half of Season Two leading up to The Battle Royale. That episode will be the next chapter of this segment and that is where I split off from canon completely. Here I am showing you segmented scenes about how the canon is changed in this universe, which is why the flow of this chapter bothers me so much; there is no flow connecting them all. Hopefully the episode in which the scene is taking place is pretty obvious since I did use dialogue either directly from it or tweaked it to fit my version better. But if not, feel free to ask me for clarification!

The plan was perfectly executed. His flag was planted in the ground and waving dramatically behind him for flair. Hater gloated over the conquered civilians, taking in their pain and tears. Peepers had been right; conquering was exactly what he needed to get back into his old self. Not that he would ever tell Peepers that he had been right about something. 

“That’s right, cry! Suffer and despair for your puny lives are now in my clutches.” Hater held his hands up, lightning crackling at his fingertips. He felt no mercy as he looked out upon the crowd of cowering creatures. He felt powerful. He felt feared.

“Oh, Hater!”

Hater’s whole body froze as he gazed up over the crowd and saw Wander waving at him. 

This was it. This was their big reunion after their breakup. He was seeing Wander for the first time after him no longer being his boyfriend. Hater knew he had to show Wander that he was over him and that Wander didn’t affect him anymore. He had to prove to Wander that he was better off without him and doing fine on his own.

He must have blinked because Wander was no longer a far distance away waving. Instead, he could feel Wander’s arms around his torso in a hug. 

“It’s been too long, buddy!” Wander grinned up at him. Genuine joy was radiating off of his expression as he held tight onto Hater.

For a moment, all the pent up rage seemed to disappear. Everything seemed right in the world with Wander’s arms wrapped around him once more. Hater felt like he could melt in the smaller being’s embrace and never worry about anything ever again. But then the word “buddy” registered and it was not the correct ‘b’ word that Hater was used to hearing from him. It wasn’t the word he wanted to hear from Wander.

“I’m not your buddy!” Hater shouted and pushed Wander off of him. He roared loudly and began to fire lightning strike after strike at the nomad. He could finally release some of his anger towards the source of it all. 

Luckily, whether on purpose or not, Wander was great at dodging. His trait of never being able to stand still came in handy when being bombarded with long range attacks. Except, while Wander flipped and twirled and went about shaking some of the Watchdogs’ hands, they ended up being fried instead, since everyone knew that Watchdogs were very bad at dodging. 

“Stand still and let me destroy you!” Hater demanded. If he ever really did hit Wander, he honestly wasn’t sure how he would react. 

“Hey, Hater, I think you dropped this.” Hater frowned and turned towards Sylvia’s voice. “Catch,” she called out as she threw a Watchdog at Hater.

The Watchdog smacked him in the face and then slid down his body to land at his feet. “Ow,” Hater mumbled. He wiped at his face and glared at the Zbornak. She was smiling and holding another two Watchdogs in her hands. Hater’s eyes widened and he was suddenly bombarded with flying Watchdogs. 

Hater held his hands over his head and turned around so that the Watchdogs struck his back before creating an unconscious pile around him. “Stop using my Watchdogs against me!” Hater yelled at her. He could hear her laughing. 

“That’s it!” Hater screamed and picked up one of the Watchdogs. He held the poor creature in his hand like a bat and started to swing him at the oncoming Watchdog projectiles. 

“Sir!” Peepers shouted beside him. “What do you think you’re doing? You’re knocking our own men off of the planet!” Indeed there were a few unlucky Watchdogs floating aimlessly around the planet’s atmosphere. 

“She’s the one throwing them at me!” Hater insisted as he continued to smack the Watchdogs to the side. A few were lucky enough to be caught by Wander who was running around with a giant glove. 

“Sir, you’re playing baseball with the Watchdogs as the balls.” Peepers complained as he pulled out his laser gun. “I’ll take care of that Zbornak once and for all,” he declared as he started marching towards her, gun blazing. 

Peepers managed to get a few steps in Sylvia’s direction before she threw one of the Watchdogs at him, knocking him off his feet. 

“This is great!” Wander cheered as he set another Watchdog down. “Oh, I got him!” He sprinted around Sylvia and caught another Watchdog.

“Uh oh,” Sylvia frowned when she realized her Watchdog supply had run out. 

“Hah!” Hater dropped his makeshift bat and lit up his fingertips. “Now it’s just you and me, Zbornak!” 

“Hater, quickly, run to first base!” Wander encouraged as he pointed to a large boulder.

“Wh-what?” Hater frowned. 

“Quickly, Hater, no time to lose! Before Sylvia tags you out, you’ve gotta run!” Wander insisted.

Hater looked at the boulder and Sylvia before bolting towards the large rock. Wander had changed into a cheerleader outfit and was cheering him on. “I did it!” Hater shouted as he stood on top of the boulder. He turned around to look down at the scene before him only to see his army unconscious and Wander nowhere to be found. Sylvia had grabbed him and gone.

“Florping Zbornak, ruins all my revenge and fun,” Hater grumbled. He began to climb back down the boulder. He stepped over the Watchdogs, sending little sparks of electricity to each one as a wake up shock. The last one he woke up was Peepers.

“Did we get them, sir?” Peepers asked as he adjusted his helmet.

“No, but we got the planet so whatever. Wander’s gone, again.” Hater crossed his arms and glared at the ground. 

“They left? Just like that?” Peepers looked around to confirm the news for himself. “Well good riddance! Now then, let’s continue to state your demands to the High Ruler and then we can move on to the next planet.”

“They took the High Ruler and all the citizens with them.” Hater shrugged. “So we have an empty planet now. Just leave my flag and let’s go.”

“Alright, sir.” Peepers trailed behind Hater back onto the Skullship. “This is a good start for your comeback, Lord Hater.”

“Yeah, whatever, I’m going to be in my room playing video games. Let me know when we get to the next planet.” Hater stormed off. He should have felt victorious after his success for the day, but he felt odd. It was probably on account of seeing Wander again. Everything was Wander’s fault these days. 

It wasn’t exactly what Hater had pictured for their reunion. Maybe his ideas of flexing and showing off his strength to cause Wander to beg in equal parts fear and admiration were a bit disillusioned. But he had expected Wander to at least talk more to him. It had just been a quick hug and then Wander had left him to talk with the Watchdogs as if Hater wasn’t the most important person in Wander’s world anymore. It hurt to think about. 

When he entered his room, he slammed the door behind him. His eyes went to his bedside table but it was empty as it had been for the past weeks. “Surprised he didn’t sneak onto the ship to leave me some sort of stupid gift.” Hater flopped down onto his bed, disturbing Captain Tim’s slumber. 

The Arachnomorph hissed and spat out acid. Hater sighed and pulled Captain Tim onto his chest. Captain Tim struggled, his legs kicking as he screeched angrily at Hater’s attempt to snuggle. “You’re right, Tim-Tim, I should just forget him. He’s just an enemy now and nothing else.” Hater told himself as he lifted Captain Tim into the air over his head. “You have the best advice.” 

Captain Tim shrieked and squirmed out of Hater’s hands to drop onto his face. The Arachnomorph began to gnaw on his bones as Hater grinned. 

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Who was this guy?

Hater kept struggling in the hold of the large alien. If Peepers wasn’t also captured he would totally use his cool powers and bust free. It was Peepers holding him back, that was all. It had nothing to do with this giant unknown ship filled with awesome robots and high-tech weapons. Hater didn’t feel intimidated in the slightest. After all, he was Lord Hater. Even if he was currently ranked as twenty-ninth greatest in the galaxy, he would soon become number one again. Wander just had to stop taking his flag. 

As he was transported through the large ship to whatever the destination was for the giant robot, Hater kept looking around for a sign of orange or a large green hat. He hadn’t seen Wander since they ran into each other that one time. But he wasn’t worried about Wander. Of course not, Wander was just an enemy. Besides, the Zbornak had to be keeping Wander safe.

They entered a large room and Hater could finally see the figure of someone tapping on a large computer interface. This was the guy. 

“Finally! My brilliant getting captured plan has lead us right to this two-bit terror. Time to take this sucker down!” Hater glanced at Sylvia as she tried to roll around in her prison. If she was there, then where was Wander?

The robot said something but he only caught the words Lord Dominator. 

“Lord Dominator? Rawr, that totally rhymes with Hater!” Hater shouted. He stared up as the figure turned around to greet them. “What? He totally looks like--” Hater stopped as he heard some distressed gagging. 

There was Wander. Pinned to the wall in cooled lava that looked to be crushing him. “Hey, friend!” Wander managed through a painful smile. 

Hater’s eyes widened with outrage. “How dare you?!” Hater screamed. “Wander is mine and no one is allowed to hurt him!” Peepers trapped beside him or not, his powers were about to be let loose.

Hater couldn’t hold back the burning rage. He began shouting short, choppy accusations as electricity burst out of him. He picked up the broken robot and smashed Lord Dominator with it, creating an explosion of lava. Landing on top of the robot, Hater proudly boasted. “No one touches my Wander.”

“You mean your enemy, sir,” Peepers reminded gently.

“Right, yes, totally. I meant that Wander is _my_ enemy!” Hater emphasized. 

“Is that what we’re calling it now?” Sylvia asked from her position on the floor. 

“Shut up, Zbornak.” Hater growled down at her. “I’m the one saving Wander here, you know, doing your job.” He blasted Wander free and watched him safely land. “And putting this loser back in his place.” He stomped his foot down on the robot.

“I have to admit, sir, that was very impressive!” Peepers admired. “I haven’t seen that much display of power from you before!”

“Love can be a powerful thing,” Wander strummed his banjo with a grin and a wink in Hater’s direction.

Hater narrowed his eyes despite his face beginning to glow with a blush. “You can’t flirt with me like that, Wander!” 

“What if I wanted to say thank you for helping me out of a sticky situation?” Wander asked as he batted his eyes.

Hater swallowed and shifted his weight from one foot to another. “Uh, how would you want--?”

“Sir!” Peepers shouted and Hater’s shoulders came up defensively.

Luckily, that was the moment Lord Dominator came shooting out of the robot with a laugh. Hater growled and charged, ready with another electrical attack. Only, things didn’t turn out the way he planned and he ended up earning a cascade of lava. Through the nonstop pain, Hater could see Wander running around in circles under him. What was that idiot doing? Why wasn’t he running for safety after Hater had freed him?

Hater could only feel pain as the onslaught finished and left him as a crisping pile of bones. The next thing he knew Peepers had joined him in his corner of ouch. Then there was a wave of lava heading their way with Wander and Sylvia at the lead. 

“This is for my real friends!” Wander declared boldly as they surfed on Sylvia. He turned to Hater. “Tangelope?” He offered. “There’s no better way to say thank you than with some vitamin C wrapped in a peel-able coating. I’ll even peel it for you!” Wander offered with a grin.

Hater glared. Then he had more important things to worry about, such as the robots waiting for them. Luckily the lava took them out. But then there was another huge robot. But the lava took care of that too. The lava was also destroying their ability to ride the lava though! 

Hater grabbed onto Wander and closed his eyes. But then he felt himself being bounced up and down. Opening his eyes, he saw that they were all riding the Zbornak.

Now they had to figure out how to get through the ship’s wall. Maybe the lava wasn’t that bad after all since it kept solving their problems for them. Now if only the lava could make them land safely on the planet instead of hurling them out. Well, lava can’t solve everything.

When they all fell to the planet’s surface, they asked the question that none of them had the answer to. 

“Who,” Wander uttered.

“Was” Peepers screamed.

“That,” Sylvia quaked.

“Guy?” Hater shouted.

They shook and continued to hold each other for a long moment. Eventually a few Watchdogs came into view and stopped to stare at the four of them. 

Peepers and Sylvia were the first two to pull apart. They made gagging noises and complained about having touched the other. But Hater could still feel Wander’s hands digging into his robes so he didn’t pull away. He was just comforting Wander, that was all.

“Okay, Hater, I’ll take Wander from here. Thanks for your help in there and all,” Sylvia begrudging offered.

Hater glanced down at Wander as he began to let go. Wander smiled up at him but he was still shaking. Hater had never seen Wander afraid before. “You weren’t able to protect him.” Hater accused, tightening his hold on Wander.

“What?” Sylvia frowned.

“Wander could have been killed by that guy!” Hater stood up and pointed a finger at her as he held Wander to his chest with the other.

“Oh, Hater, I don’t think that guy meant us any harm.” Wander stated. The other three stared at him. “Well, I don’t think he meant us _too_ much harm.” Wander amended.

“Uh, uh, no way, I am not letting you go traveling the galaxy with only the Zbornak as protection when that creep is around.” Hater gestured over his shoulder into the vastness of the galaxy. “She can’t look after you the way I can. Until Peepers can get some intel on that guy and tell me how to defeat him, you’re only safe with me.”

“News flash, Hater, I can take care of Wander just fine. Besides, why do you even want to protect Wander anyways? He’s not your boyfriend, remember? You can’t claim him as anything except your most hated enemy.” Sylvia crossed her arms over her chest.

Hater opened his mouth to yell at her but he realized that she had a point. He and Wander weren’t dating anymore. He shouldn’t feel such an overwhelming urge to protect him. Hater slowly and wordlessly lowered Wander to the ground.

“Thanks for all your help today, Hatey.” Wander took his hand and squeezed it with a smile before walking over to Sylvia. She hugged him tightly and he returned the embrace before sliding around her on her back. “Oh, you can have this back.” He tossed Hater his flag. “We’ll see you later, Hater!” Wander pulled out his Orbble juice and floated away. He looked over his shoulder and waved at Hater.

Hater resisted the urge to wave back. 

“Come on, sir, we need to start repairs on the ship and then come up with some sort of plan against whoever that Lord Dominator guy is.” Peepers placed a hand gently on Hater’s arm.

“Don’t touch me.” Hater tugged his arm away. “If my room is ruined then I’m going to make that guy pay for it!” He grumbled as he started to storm towards his destroyed ship.

“Repairs shouldn’t be that costly compared to other times,” Peepers remarked at his side. “I mean, it’s just cut in half, at least. Last time the ship was blown up by our own missile.”

“Don’t remind me,” Hater grumbled. He honestly didn’t want to remember the day he tried to blow up a sun that called him immature and didn’t say he’d ever get a girlfriend. Technically that sun had been right since he’d gotten a boyfriend. 

“Just make sure the ship gets fixed quickly!” Hater shouted, angry at his own thoughts and taking his rage out on Peepers as was usual.

“Of course, sir, right away, sir!” Peepers saluted and turned towards the few Watchdogs that had gathered around. Peepers began to bark out orders and Hater watched as the Watchdogs ran around to fulfill them.

It had been a long day. It was going to be a long night.

By the time Hater returned to his room, Captain Tim was somewhere else on the ship. He was pretty sure he heard some Watchdogs screaming, but he couldn’t be bothered to investigate. He wanted to bury himself under his blankets and not wake up until he was in a better mood.

The moment his head hit his pillow, he knew he wasn’t going to fall asleep easily. It was going to be one of those nights that he spent tossing and turning. He would probably have a nightmare too. These were the nights he really missed having Wander around.

Sighing, Hater sat up and glanced at his closet. He knew it would help him fall to sleep faster but it felt like he was admitting defeat to himself. Standing up, Hater reasoned he had already been defeated that day. He needed a small comfort. 

He went to his closet and threw open the door. Stepping inside, he went for the box on the top shelf. It was difficult to get to, especially with the stuff piled on top of it, but that had been the point. Hater wasn’t supposed to get the box out unless he was willing to go through all the trouble. That night, he was more than willing.

When he finally got the box down, Hater sat down in the middle of his walk-in closet. He held the box on his lap and stroked the lid. Taking a deep breath, Hater opened the box. 

There were two items in the box. A stuffed bear and a blonde wig.

Hater stared into the box for a long moment before exhaling deeply and reaching in. He pulled the bear out and sat the wig on top of its stuffed head. Standing up, Hater let the box topple to the floor now that it was empty of its important possessions. 

Carrying the bear to the bed, Hater focused on taking deep, steady breaths in and slowly out. By the time he got to his bed, his heart had stopped racing. He was a little calmer but he still hated how pathetic he was. 

Closing his eyes, Hater held the bear on his lap and stroked his hand through the hair and over the bear’s fake fur. “Wanda,” he told himself. That name was safer for him. After all, Wanda never broke up with him. She had only ever been sweet to him. She hadn’t set him down for a terrible discussion about his feelings not being enough for her.

“Wanda,” Hater spoke aloud again, trying to get his thoughts under control. He held the bear against his chest with one hand and ran his other down his body to rub at his hip bones. 

Shifting backwards, Hater laid down on his back, his head comfortably resting on his pillow. He pushed his pajamas almost all the way off so that his boxers were exposed. Keeping the stuffed bear up on his chest, he ran one continuously over the wig and fur. The other hand was already shoved into his boxers. 

Even with his eyes closed, his brows were wrinkled with frustration. It wasn’t the same. He wasn’t fooling himself, but he had to try.

Hater moved so that the bear was pressed against his neck, then gently brushed it over his cheeks. “Wanda,” Hater whispered and touched himself a little harder. His cock was finally starting to get with the program. It felt hot and heavy in his hand as he stroked it from base to tip. 

He tugged at himself, grunting and huffing as he continued. He pictured in his mind orange fur brushing over his ribs. He tried to pretend it was a furry hand touching him below but his imagination wasn’t that good. Instead, he thought about Wanda sitting on his chest, her hands running through her own fur, putting on a show for him. Her hands tangled in her tentacles, moaning and telling Hater how hot and bothered he was making her. 

Yeah, Hater thought as he started to tilt his hips up into his stroking hand. That was a pretty picture. She would bite her lip, give him that sultry look with her eyes half closed. Her blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. She would spread her legs farther apart. Hater licked at his teeth as his breath left him in a huff. He was holding the bear tightly to his chest now and his hand had started to move faster. 

The warmth was starting in his stomach again. It felt as though his insides were rearranging themselves, coiling onto themselves until they built up a knot of tension. Then it would all come undone at once, releasing all that tightness and spreading throughout his body.

Wanda would toss her head from one side to another. She’s rub herself down on Hater’s strong bones. He rubbed his hand over the bear again, pretending that his hand was on her hip to help steady her. She’d call out his name and moan so sweetly. 

“Yeah, just like that,” Hater panted as he squeezed himself at the tip. He squeezed at different intervals to spice things up a little. Wanda was full of surprises and she’d love to watch him watch her. She would get off on him getting off. She wanted to watch him enjoy himself. She loved him.

Hater’s hand picked up the pace as he began to thrust erratically up, searching for more friction. “Please, Wanda.” She was the only one who he’d willingly beg. He wanted her to touch him again. He wanted her to be the one to bring him to climax. He wanted her sweet kisses. 

He was close. She would give them to him, anything and everything he asked for plus more. She was too good. She was the best. She was Wander. He spurted over his own hand and crushed the bear to his chest.

“Wander,” Hater shouted, his eyes opening as his orgasm took him by surprise. His ribs were expanding with his labored breaths. He looked around the room, half expecting to find someone there with him. But he was still alone. 

He wiped his hand off with a tissue, balling it up and tossing it to the floor. With both hands, he pushed the bear to sit up on his chest so he could look at the face. He righted his pajamas and then continued to stare at the bear. Hater felt an overwhelming wave of self-pity and grief as he met the glass, unseeing eyes of the blonde bear.

Hater looked at the stuffed bear with tears already stinging his eyes. “Wander,” he whispered as he clung to the bear. It wasn’t the same but he held onto the stuffed bear and stroked the strands of the wig. Hater sniffled and squeezed the bear tighter, trying to get as much relief as he could from the inanimate object.

He pressed his face into the wig, soaking it with his tears. Eventually, he fell asleep, with tears on his cheek and a bear filled with memories as his only comfort. 

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“You sure about this, sir?” Peepers asked as they stood behind the stage’s curtains. 

“Completely,” Hater stated with fake confidence. 

“Because once I start to introduce the Boomapalooza, there’s no going back.” Peepers warned. “No matter what or who comes along, you can’t let yourself get distracted.”

“Peepers, I already told you I’m completely over him,” Hater reassured. They hadn’t seen him in a few weeks and that had helped build up Hater’s confidence about being single again. Besides, Peepers plan would regain his credit amongst the other villains and put him back in the top ten on the villains board.

Peepers didn’t look convinced. “It’s okay to not be completely over him.” 

“I am,” Hater declared with narrowed eyes. “Let’s just get this show started.”

“Yes, sir.”

After all the events of the big day, Hater did something he didn’t typically do. He drank. He was halfway through the handle when Peepers sat down next to him. Hater pushed the bottle towards Peepers in offering and the commander poured himself a hefty supply. They didn’t have much to do while they waited on the slow progress of the Skullship being repaired. 

“You’re not completely over him.” Peepers began.

“I was going to destroy him,” Hater stated.

“Sir, that was a wedding setup. I went over your wedding plans the second time you tried to propose to him.” Peepers sighed with exasperation. 

Hater swallowed another gulp straight from the bottle and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the ring he had there and handed it to Peepers. “I was going to give him an ultimatum,” Hater admitted. “He could either become mine again and stay mine forever, or else I’d destroy him once and for all.”

“Oh, sir.” Peepers looked at the ring in his hand.

“Hold onto that for me. Don’t give it back to me until you think I’m ready to start something serious with someone.” Hater commanded.

“With someone other than Wander, you mean?” Peepers asked, pocketing the ring.

Hater looked forlorn. “You really think I can’t win him back?”

“You planned a wedding with him and he blew up your ship, sir. I think it’s safe to assume he moved on, even if you haven’t yet.” Peepers placed a timid hand on Hater’s knee.

Hater scowled but didn’t mention the physical comfort. “Maybe it is time for me to get over him. Clearly there’s something wrong with him if he doesn’t recognize what a catch I am.”

“Of course, sir. We’ve known all along that he’s a weirdo. You deserve better than him.” Peepers encouraged. “You deserve someone who worships the ground you walk on. You should be with someone who can recognize that you’re the greatest in the galaxy no matter what!”

Hater looked at Peepers and the hand still resting on his knee. He placed his hand over top of Peepers’ hand. “Maybe what I needed was right in front of me the whole time.” Hater curled his fingers under Peepers’ hand and slowly gazed at him. 

Peepers stared back at him. “Um, no.” Peepers retracted his hand.

“No?” Hater blinked.

“Sorry, Lord Hater, but, well, I can only offer you platonic affection.” Peepers stated.

“Is there a Mrs. Commander Peepers that I don’t know about?” Hater asked.

Peepers shook his head. “No and I don’t ever plan on there being one. I committed myself to your empire a long time ago, sir. Besides, I am not sexually inclined.” Peepers murmured as he swung his glass back, emptying it.

“Oh,” Hater slowly nodded his head in understanding. “No plans, huh? I could have sworn you and that Zbornak were starting to become pretty chummy though.”

Peepers flushed. “I was only trying to be nice to her in order to support your relationship with her best friend. Besides, I thought it was a great chance to get to know her better in order to exploit her weaknesses. It was a purely strategic goal.” He reached for the bottle and poured himself another generous amount.

“Knowing her favorite smoothie flavor has really helped you fight her better?” Hater smirked. 

“I’d rather not discuss this, sir.” Peepers crossed his arms over his chest. He toed a piece of shrapnel lying on the floor near them. “If you can’t hold onto her weirdo of a friend, what chance do I have of gaining her attention? What can I offer to a girl that doesn’t need anything? She’s happy traveling the galaxy with next to nothing but a smelly hippie.” He stared into his glass.

Hater nodded again as he sipped from the bottle. “Yeah, non-materialistic nomads are tough to impress.” He dropped his head down and sighed loudly. 

“Who needs them sir?” Peepers reached over and rubbed at Hater’s skull. “We’ve always been okay on our own. As long as we have each other, then we’re fine as far as I’m concerned, Lord Hater.”

Hater snorted. “You’ve had too much to drink, Commander. You’re starting to go all soft and mushy on me.”

“You’re the one slurring his words,” Peepers claimed. 

“Of course I’ve had too much drink; I’m willingly talking about my feelings. Bad guys don’t talk about their feelings. It’s not manly.” Hater closed his eyes. “Finish your drink, let me sleep until the ship is rebuilt, and then we’ll act like this whole day never happened.”

“Yes, sir, that’s the true villain way; repress everything until you can’t anymore and wait for the eventual breakdown.” Peepers commented as he took another long sip of his drink.  
Hater hummed a confirmation as he let himself drift off into a deep slumber.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“I’m a little surprised that you’re still listed as his emergency contact. I thought for sure he’d change it after the breakup.” Sylvia commented.

“Maybe he knows that he can depend on me, whether we’re dating or not.” Wander replied with a giggle. “Hater, stop, that tickles!”

“What’s he doing?” She kept her eyes forward, determined to get Hater to the Skullship as fast as possible. Honestly, she didn’t want to risk seeing something that would haunt her for the rest of her days.

“His hands keep, hah, wandering around. Hater!” Wander shrieked and jumped. He turned around and took hold of Hater’s hands. “Now stop that, that’s rude.”

“My mouth tastes like purple,” Hater declared.

“That squid really took a lot out of him,” Wander observed.

“If he’s being handsy with you then I have half a mind to knock out a few more of his teeth and send him right back to that dentist.” Sylvia threatened.

“He is keeping it rather PG-13 at least. Besides, I can’t hold it against him when he’s not in his right mind.” Wander excused. “It’s nothing I can’t handle as we do the smart thing and get Hater safely back to his ship.”

“Yup,” Sylvia agreed.

“It’s not like having a day of fun with us would cause Hater to realize being a good guy is way better than being a bad guy or that he can be happy with a few good friends at his side.” Wander sighed dreamily.

“That would be crazy.” Sylvia continued to look from side to side for any signs of a giant skull floating in the sky.

“I know! Maybe this bonding experience would actually make Hater happy. Maybe he’d come to realize that helping people can bring a smile to his face. Maybe he’ll have so much fun with me that we’d have our own secret friend language and people will be like: “What are they talking about?””

“What are you talking about?” Sylvia asked, suddenly concerned.

Wander’s eyes were wide with delight. “And I’d be like: “Glee-bibble-glorp, Hatey!” and he’d be all: “Slamdibble-doo, Wandey!” Then we’d have adventures together and hold hands and visit planets together and I’d bake him some cookies and--” 

“Wander,” Sylvia interrupted, “you sound like you’re talking about when you and Hater used to--”

“Hey!” Hater shouted and it was at that moment they realized he was no longer palming Wander. “Quit your jibber-jabber and let’s go have some fun! Slamdibble-doo!”

“Sorry, Syl, but I’m holin’ out hope for Hater!” Wander squealed and raced off, leaving Sylvia in a tiny Orbble.

“Sigh,” Sylvia stated. “This is going to end in tears all over again.”

Sylvia wasn’t a pessimist; she was a realist which meant that her predictions were typically correct. She hated when her negative inferences were correct. At the end of their adventure with Hater, with him once again safe with Peepers, Sylvia was left comforting a tearful Wander. At least he wasn’t crying as hard as last time, she considered as Wander wiped away his tears. 

He kept staring at the small skull ring. “Well, buddy, you were able to at least make Hater happy for one more day.” She had the video and pictures to prove it to.

“I finally accepted a ring from him,” Wander mused with a small smile. Sylvia walked up to him and placed a comforting hand over his shoulders. 

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“I have another party game we could play,” Hater suggested. He scratched discreetly under his fake beard. It was really starting to bother him but he had to keep up the charade in order to be allowed to continue to party with his prisoners. Who knew that a bunch of deposed royalty could be so much fun? Not to mention that this party was going much better than his last one with Wander.

“What is it, Schmater?” Wander asked, looking up at him with a grin.

Hater was really hoping that this would work. 

He held up an empty bottle. “Spin the Bottle,” he declared, looking from Wander to the others to judge their reactions. 

There was a mixture of emotions that declaration brought from the group. Sylvia was glaring at him for some reason but she was the only one with a negative look on her face. Some were blushing, like Destructor and Draykor. Others seemed a little too energetic at the idea, like Bingleborp and Demurra.

“You sassy, man,” Wander commented with a wink. Hater worried for a minute that Wander had seen through his disguise somehow. “Alright, Schmater, why don’t you start then?”  
Wander sat down on the floor and the others followed his example, making a circle. Hater went to sit in the space next to Wander but Sylvia quickly slid into the spot and crossed her arms, refusing to budge. Hater scowled but went to squeeze next to Beeza. 

He placed the bottle in the middle of the circle and spun it, looking hopeful as the bottle slowly moved around and around. It landed on the king of Sherblorg 7. 

“That was just a test spin!” Hater shouted and quickly spun again. He ignored the fact that the king had sighed with relief. 

The bottle was pointing at Cashmere. “That didn’t count!” Hater angrily reached out to spin the bottle again. 

It landed on Sylvia. “This bottle is broken!” Hater declared and picked up the bottle to throw it against the wall. “You!” He pointed at one of the Watchdogs that had made it into the party. “Grab another bottle. And it better be a good one!” 

The Watchdog returned with another empty bottle. “Do you want me to go first, Lord H-uh King Schmater, sir? To make sure it’s a good bottle?” He asked.

“Yeah, do that.” Hater crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. 

The Watchdog spun the bottle and it landed on Wander. Hater pulled his hood down over his face and screamed. When he righted his hood, all eyes were on him. “What.” He ground out between his teeth. “Go ahead.” He was glaring at the Watchdog and trying his hardest to contain the electricity to just his fingertips. 

Everyone could hear the Watchdog gulp. Wander leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to the top of the Watchdog’s closed eyelid. “My turn!” Wander grinned as he gave the bottle a spin.

“Please, please,” Hater muttered under his breath.

This time the opposite end was pointing at him. “Yes!” Hater shouted and threw his hands high in victory. “I mean,” he cleared his throat and put on his fake accent. “Oh, look at that. I guess we have to kiss then.”

Wander smiled and stood to cross the circle. This was it. His plan was working! Hater could barely contain his excitement for the chance to kiss Wander again. He closed his eyes and tilted his mouth up when Wander stood before him. He felt Wander’s hands frame his skull. Then a soft kiss was pressed to his forehead.

Hater’s eyes snapped open and he reached out to grab Wander before he made it a step away. “That’s not how you play!” Hater argued.

“That’s the same kiss I gave Tom. It’s only fair,” Wander pointed out.

“Forget, Tom, he doesn’t even have lips! I have lips and so do you so we need to lock lips to play this game correctly.” Hater had completely dropped the accent at this point but he didn’t notice that no one particularly cared.

“Should we step in to do something?” Draykor asked.

“Let them work this out themselves, honey. But if he tries to force himself on Wander we’ll kick his butt,” Demurra reassured as she patted her husband’s arm.

“Well, I suppose one little kiss couldn’t hurt.” Wander ducked his head and looked shyly at Hater as he reached up again to hold Hater’s face.

Hater didn’t close his eyes this time until Wander’s lips were already on his. He allowed himself to sink into the moment. The familiarity of Wander’s warmth cascaded over him. He reached up and cupped the back of Wander’s head, tilting it slightly in order to deepen the kiss. At the same time, his other hand went to Wander’s waist and started to tug him into his lap.

Sylvia loudly cleared her throat and Wander tugged away all at once. “Your turn, Schmater.” Wander grinned as he walked back to his spot. He smiled sheepishly at Sylvia.

Hater looked at the bottle and considered the chances of his spin landing on Wander. “I have an even better suggestion,” his accent had returned now as he continued his façade. “Let’s say we take this party out of the cells?”

The group cheered excitedly and Hater grinned. He felt like he was on top of the world.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Okay, what was that back on Hater’s ship?” Sylvia asked once they had waved off the last of the royals. She turned her attention fully on Wander, despite how exhausted she was. They needed to have this talk now.

“A successful party!” Wander grinned with his answer.

“I meant with Spin the Bottle.” Sylvia sighed.

Wander licked his lips as though he remembered the sensation of Hater’s kiss. “It was just a game, Sylvia.”

“It didn’t look like just a game,” she accused. “Wander, I thought you were finally starting to get over Hater. Don’t tell me you’re still in love with that jerk.”

Wander frowned and looked back at the Skullship. “But I am, Sylvia, and I probably will be for a long while. Hater certainly is one of a kind.”

“Thank Grop for that. The galaxy couldn’t handle two of him,” Sylvia muttered. “Alright, buddy, who am I to try and talk you out of listening to that bleeding heart of yours?” Sylvia’s sentence ended with a large yawn. “Enough talk of feelings and Hater. We need to find somewhere to sleep, pronto.” She began to head towards one of the nearby planets. The proximity to Hater’s ship wasn’t a top priority to her at the moment.

Wander was silent for a long while. “Hater was really happy tonight. Maybe Hater just needs the opportunity to further his career. Do you think that’ll make him happy?”

“Are you suggesting we just let him conquer the galaxy?” Sylvia asked, wondering if her sleep-deprived mind was hearing things.

“What? No, I meant we should let Hater have the chance to look cool in front of all his villainous friends. He is always worried about his appearance with them. Maybe if he felt more confident about his standings amongst them, he’d be able to focus more on what he really wants out of life,” Wander pondered. “I mean, with how confident he acted tonight with the others, it’s worth a shot, don’t you think, Sly?”

“Sure thing, buddy. It’s worth a shot, after I get some sleep.” Once they landed on the planet, Sylvia stretched and then plopped down. She was asleep a moment later and didn’t notice that Wander had briefly left her.

He had a plan to start to put into motion. This one would take some time too. Rumors needed time to grow and reach the right people, after all. 

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“It doesn’t mean anything, sir.” Peepers tried for the umpteenth time to get through Hater’s panic mutterings. Ever since Major Threat had left the skeleton had become a nervous wreck. 

“There are a lot of differences between you and Major Threat.” Peepers took on a different approach. “After all, I didn’t hear him mention dating this Tumbleweed at any point.” That finally spurred a reaction from Hater. 

Hater blinked and closed his mouth. He looked at Peepers for a moment before narrowing his eyes. “Wander mentioned having an ex-boyfriend.” Hater glanced at the door that Major Threat had walked through hours earlier. “Do you think that guy was Wander’s ex? Do you think he’s back in the galaxy to try to get back together with Wander now that he’s single again?” 

“I don’t think so, Lord Hater.” Peepers suddenly missed the paranoid murmurs from a moment ago.

“But why not? They have so much in common. I mean, he likes to hug and Wander likes to hug. They’re both weird hippies. They both talk about peace and sunshine.” Hater’s voice had taken on a mocking tone and he stuck his tongue out at the last word. “They’re practically the same person, why wouldn’t Wander want to date him?” 

Peepers rolled his eye. “If Wander liked you, then Jeff would be the last person to catch his interests. You and this version of Major Threat are complete opposites, sir; you have nothing to worry about.”

Hater perked up with a grin. “That’s it! That’s probably why Wander broke up with him before. He lost that bad boy attitude that Wander’s attracted to.” Hater slowly nodded to himself. “Peepers, quickly, find some place for me to show off how evil I am!”

“Well, now that you mention it sir, there is a rumor going around about The Ring of Invincibility.” Peepers informed. “If the rumors are true, then with that ring you’d be able to conquer the galaxy in no time.”

“That’s perfect! If I’m ruler of the galaxy, then there’s no way Wander could resist my bad boy charms anymore.” Hater stood, once again brimming with confidence and an over inflated ego. “Peepers, prepare yourself. We’re going to take that ring and I’m going to control this galaxy. Put on my mixtape and put the petal to the metal!”

“Sir, yes, sir!” Peepers saluted and started to bark orders at the piloting Watchdogs. It might not have been the exact motivation he wanted for his boss, but at least Major Threat was no longer on the forefront of his mind. Now if only he could get Wander out of Hater’s thoughts. He’d take just about anything else to catch Lord Hater’s attention.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick thank you to [Spacecrunched](http://spacecrunched.tumblr.com/) for the lovely suggestions on how to make this chapter even better!  
> Also, if you haven't seen [Odu-f's fantastic commission work](http://aloneindarknes7.tumblr.com/post/149488950522/odu-f-commision-for-aloneindarknes7-thank) for the very start of this series, please give it a look!

Lasers were firing. Lightning was buzzing through the air. Triumphant cries were echoed by angry roars. Bananas were being tossed about. It was a scene of chaos and terror.

Sylvia wasn’t too surprised to be in the middle of it all. Wander always had to be involved.

“This wasn’t exactly part of my plan,” Wander admitted as they watched minions fly through the air after another catatonic blast.

“Wander, what do you mean your plan?” Sylvia asked as she held onto Wander. She had to drag him behind a boulder and she wasn’t about to risk him running off into the battlefield. She wasn’t confident in her ability to keep him safe in such a fight. She wasn’t even sure if she could keep herself safe.

“Well, I wanted to help Hater,” Wander confessed. “Remember my idea that I told you about last week?”

“Last week? I don’t remember you saying anything about,” Sylvia sighed. “Did you tell me this idea when I was exhausted after that rager on Hater’s ship?” Wander nodded eagerly, happy that Sylvia remembered that night if not the initial idea.

Sylvia placed a hand to her forehead. “Why are you still obsessed with helping him? He obviously hasn’t changed. Besides, how is this helping anyone?” She gestured to the mass disorder of every single villain in the galaxy attacking at once.

“I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for Hater to prove how great he is to all his friends!” Wander grinned, gesturing around. “All it took was a candy ring. I certainly did manage to get everyone gathered in one place easy enough with a little secret spreading. Now I just have to make Hater look good. Or, is it make Hater look bad? He doesn’t want to seem like a good guy but he wants to be known as a good villain. Perhaps it’s just my vocabulary.”

“Wander!” Sylvia shouted, interrupting him. He stopped trying to think of synonyms and gave her his full attention. “I get that you want to help Hater, but how is planting a fake ring of power and gathering all the villains in the galaxy supposed to help him exactly? Half of his Watchdogs have already been blasted to the next galaxy over.” 

“Well that’s the easy part, Syl, now we just gotta have Hatey be the first one to reach the ring!” Wander grinned.

“Yeah, but how are we supposed to do that without getting blasted ourselves?” Sylvia asked. She frowned and reached out to grab Wander but he quickly jumped out of her arm’s reach. “Wander, don’t!”

“I’m sorry, Sylvia, but I’ve gotta help Hater if I can!” Wander smiled apologetically as he ran right into the middle of the battlefield where Hater was located. 

“Wander, no, please! I don’t think I can protect you out there!” She cried out desperately in an attempt to get him to turn back. Sylvia knew it was too late though. She raced after Wander, dodging blasts and punching out a few minions on her way.

Hater, meanwhile, was stuck in a showdown with Awesome. “What, you still have beef with me from crashing your lame-o party, dude?” Awesome was dancing, literally, around Hater’s array of lightning bolts.

“I will never forgive you!” Hater bellowed, systematically switching between one hand and the other for his blasts.

Unfortunately, Awesome was able to rhythmically dodge his attacks enough to get close and grab him into a headlock. Hater grabbed one of Awesome’s Fistfighters to try and smack Awesome away. It had the opposite effect that Hater was hoping for as he found his wrist locked in Awesome’s hand. 

“Quit hitting yourself,” Awesome grinned as he used his henchman to pummel Hater in the head. “Why you hitting yourself? Quit hitting yourself.”

“Oh, Hatey!” Wander called out, earning the attention of both villains. “Come and catch me!” he taunted with a wink as he began hopping up the asteroids.

“Wander?” Hater’s eyes widened. What was that idiot doing in the middle of a battle field like this one? Didn’t he realize he could get hurt? “Wander, get back here!” Hater roared, sending off a huge blast of lightning that knocked the forgotten Awesome out and away. He began chasing after the nomad, desperate to catch him before some other villain did.

“Don’t worry, buddy! I’m coming!” Sylvia shouted, trying to jump after him. Only for Peepers to collide into her.

“Not this time, Zbornak!” Peepers stood triumphantly on her stomach.

“You don’t understand! The ring’s a fake.” Sylvia shot Peepers off of her. She already knew there would be no way to convince Peepers to leave her alone. Who was she kidding? She’d been waiting for the chance to fight him again. After all, they both had unfinished business with one another.

While Sylvia and Peepers began their battle, Wander was still in the midst of his own. “I am so sorry!” Wander ducked out of the way, allowing Hater’s blasts to strike the villains behind him. “I feel really bad about this! But it’ll all work out in the end when you guys realize how wonderful Hater is and start inviting him to hang out. He throws the best parties. You’ll all just laugh about this later, I’m sure of it!” He carefully managed to tip-toe around the Black Cube and Little Bits. He wasn’t going to risk those two affecting him at this moment. This was way too important. 

He had to make Hater look good and powerful in front of everyone. This was going to be Hater’s big moment. Sure, it would technically make Hater even more of a bad guy than he already was since he would have defeated rival villains and show the galaxy that he was the strongest of them all. But Wander was sure that once Hater just made friends with the other villains, then they would all come to the realization that they didn’t need to be mean or hurtful in order to be happy; they just needed others that understood them so they no longer felt alone.

They were so close to the top and the ring. Wander just needed to go a little further before he could be able to—Hater slipped on a banana peel.

“Oh no, not now, not him. This could ruin everything! Please, not Dr. Screwball Jones!” Wander could already see the outline of the dastardly banana heading towards him. 

“There you are! I was starting to miss you a whole bunch.” Dr. Screwball Jones fired a bunch of bananas at Wander but he was quick to dodge and even quicker to pull his cape out of his hat.

Hater slipped on past him, unable to stop himself for falling for the slippery mess left behind. Thinking on his toes, Wander was able to stop Dr. Screwball Jones while only enduring a few puns. He watched with his hands on his hips for the dramatic doctor to end his shenanigans. 

That was when something happened that Wander hadn’t been expecting. 

Dominator showed up. Dominator’s entrance was one that no one was able to miss.

“Oh, right, I forgot about that guy.” Wander frowned and glanced behind himself at Hater. He was looking a little worse for wear. “Oh no, come on, Hatey! This is going to be your big moment! You’ve got to pull through.” Hater continued to be a slumping mass of unconscious bones. 

“One more platform and you’ll have everything you ever wanted in the whole galaxy, Hater, I promise! Hatey, this is all for your own happiness, please we have to hurry.” Wander worriedly watched Dominator get closer and closer to the top platform.

“I guess it’s just no use.” Wander moved to sit on Hater’s chest. “I guess Dominator will just take the Ring of Invincibility and become the greatest in the galaxy.”

“Dominator!” Hater sat up quickly, knocking Wander off of him. “I hate that guy!”

Hater jumped onto the top platform just in time to meet Dominator face to face. “Lord Dominator,” Hater growled as he began to spark.

“Lord Hater,” Dominator began to glow fiery hot.

“Uh, fellers, are you two okay?” Wander asked from the side as he watched the two. “I’m sure there’s a way we can settle this peacefully.” The two villains exploded with power. “Oh no they’re going to kill each other! This was not in my plan! New plan, new plan!” Wander screamed only to be thrown backwards. 

He started to fall off of the platform only for a hand to grab him at the last moment. “Stop putting yourself in danger!” Hater shouted at him as he lifted Wander back onto the platform. Hater turned around just in time to get blasted off of the platform himself by Dominator.

Wander faced Dominator alone on the platform. He smiled. “Hi there, Lord Dominator, it’s nice to see you again. Um, I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but would you mind doing me a little favor and leaving the Ring of Invincibility for Hater to win?” Wander glanced around. “I’ll let you in on a little secret; it’s not a real Ring of Invincibility anyways,” he loudly whispered.

Dominator took a few steps closer to Wander. Just then Hater came flying back onto the platform, tackling Dominator to the ground. “Get away from him! And the ring! I called dibs on the ring!” Hater stood and picked Dominator up over his head. He grunted and heaved the other villain off of the platform.

“Thanks, Lord Dominator!” Wander called out as he waved at the other. With a quick glance around, Wander saw that all eyes were on their platform thanks to Dominator’s appearance and disappearance.

Hater was still breathing heavily with exertion as he stood over Wander. “Alright, Hatey, you ready?” Wander bounced on his feet before flinging himself at Hater.

Hater’s reflexes kicked in and he caught Wander in his hands. Using his loudest voice, Wander began his practiced plan. “Oh, woe is me! Lord Hater, has defeated me and Lord Dominator once and for all! My do-gooderness has failed to stop him from earning the Ring of Invincibility and proving once and for all that he is truly the greatest in the galaxy!” Wander shouted as he pressed the back of his hand to his forehead.

“Uh, what are you doing?” Hater frowned and wondered if he should put Wander down. He didn’t want to let go of him though since he had already gone through the trouble of catching him. Hater wasn’t sure if he’d be able to catch him again, after all.

“I’m helping you build up your street cred, Hatey, play along.” Wander winked and motioned towards the ring. “Now with the ring at his disposal, Lord Hater will be able to show just how evil and amazing he truly is! Woe is me now that I am at Lord Hater’s mercy.”

Hater narrowed his eyes and looked between Wander and the ring. “So, you’re going to let me take the Ring of Invincibility and become the Greatest in the Galaxy?” Hater took a step cautiously towards the ring, expecting Wander to stop him somehow. He made it all the way to the ring with Wander still smiling in his hands. “Uh, is this your way of saying you want to get back together?” Hater whispered, glancing around. 

“I’m trying to help you get friends, Hatey,” Wander corrected.

Hater frowned and threw Wander to the ground. “I don’t need friends! I don’t want friends! All I want is this Ring of Invincibility! With it, I will be unstoppable and I will be able to rule over the entire galaxy. Then I will be able to get what I truly want.” Hater grinned triumphantly down at Wander. “With the Ring of Invincibility, even you won’t be able to deny me, Wander.” 

“Uh, Hater, behind you.” Wander pointed.

“Pfft, I’m not falling for the oldest trick in the book. How dumb do you think I am?” Hater asked with his hands on his hips.

“Pretty dumb,” Dominator stated before kicking Hater in the spine. Wander ducked as Hater went tumbling over him.

Hater stood with a growl. “Wander, get off the platform now.”

“But, Hater,” Wander began.

“Now!” Hater shouted and began blasting lightning at Dominator. Dominator returned fire with magma blasts.

Wander didn’t listen to Hater’s advice, instead choosing to climb onto Hater’s back. “I really think there’s a better way to solve this little dispute, buddies. Why don’t we talk this out over a nice cup of hot chocolate?” Wander asked even as Hater leaped at Dominator. “Or is espresso more of your thing, Lord Dominator?”

The battle continued on. Dominator using an arsenal of tricks and attacks against Hater. Hater kept using his lightning powers, trying to blast, levitate, and block against Dominator. Wander ran around the two, trying to make peace between them.

“This violence has got to stop!” Wander cried out. “Please, Hatey, you don’t have to be mean! Why can’t we all just be friends instead?” Wander wrapped his arms around Hater’s waist as he pleaded.

“Wander, let go! Ugh, you need to leave already! I’ve been holding back this whole time because of you.” Hater claimed.

“Hater, this ring isn’t worth fighting over!” Wander insisted.

“Yes it is!” Hater argued. When he looked back at Dominator, it was just in time to take a fist to the face. It sent him flying back off of the platform once more.

Wander was left standing in Dominator’s looming shadow. “Please, Lord Dominator, I’m sure you’d like Lord Hater as a friend if you just got to know him. He’s a really great guy underneath all the “Rawr” and angry faces. Do you like video games? He has so many of them. Are you an animal lover? You should see all the cool pets Hater has. What kind of music do you like?”

Dominator grabbed Wander and he squeaked as he was squeezed tightly and lifted up to the menacing helmet. “What kind of music do I like?” Dominator repeated the question.

Wander blinked and nodded his head slowly. “Yeah, Hater has his own band.” Wander stated between the pain and suffocating feeling of his ribcage slowly being crushed in Dominator’s grip. 

“Dominator, drop him!” The Skullship flew into view, canons out and loaded. Dominator stared at the canons and at Wander. Dominator missed seeing the Zbornak and Commander sneaking up on the platform.

“Don’t worry, buddy, I’m here!” Sylvia shouted as she hurled herself at Dominator, her hind legs out and hitting Dominator directly in the chest. Peepers jumped off of Sylvia’s back and caught Wander in his hands, landing neatly back on Sylvia.

“My heroes,” Wander smiled as he hugged Peepers.

“Stop that. Alright, sir, fire when ready!” Peepers called over his shoulder at the Skullship as Sylvia hurried off of the platform and onto somewhere safely out of the Skullship’s blasts.

“I am Lord Hater and I am the greatest in the galaxy!” Hater boasted as he pressed every button on the control panels to the Skullship. Lasers, missiles, canons, bullets, and a kitchen sink were fired at Dominator. But Dominator’s armor was impenetrable. 

Dominator let lose a green blast from the helmet’s eyes, destroying the Skullship and frying Hater to a burnt crisp. Hater fell, creating a huge crater that had all the other villains looking on with awe and terror. 

Dominator cackled victoriously. The Ring of Invincibility was won. “Kneel, kneel before Dominator, the Greatest in the Galaxy!”

All the villains kneeled, even Peepers and the Watchdogs. Sylvia stood with her hands on Wander’s shoulders. “Buddy, we have to leave while we still can.” 

“It didn’t work,” Wander slumped and stood before the crater holding Hater. “I really thought with friends in his life, Hater would finally learn there’s no point in being so angry and evil all the time.” He hugged Sylvia.

“I’m sorry, buddy. But if love wasn’t enough for Hater, I really don’t think making friends with these guys will work either.” Sylvia gestured to the kneeling villains just as they began to chant “Dominator’s greater, best villain.” 

“But the power of friendship can be even more powerful and fulfilling than love. If love can’t win over Hater and friendship can’t do it, then what can make Hater happy?” Wander wondered.

The crater began to glow green as the chanting continued. Hater roared to life. He blasted up, his fist held out in front of him to deliver a mighty uppercut to Dominator’s jaw. Dominator’s helmet went flying off as the ring fell neatly onto Hater’s finger.

“A lady?” Wander’s eyes widened. Well, he certainly hadn’t expected that.

Everyone stared as Dominator flipped her hair back and out of her eyes, glaring at Hater. Hater’s jaw dropped open as she shrunk her armor to show off her true form. 

“Lady?” Hater swooned. She was beautiful. Her eyeliner skillfully done to look like she didn’t care how it looked. Freckles scattered in various locations over her skin. The midriff. The shoes and high socks. She was gorgeous and held herself confidently as though she knew how good she looked too. “I, you, lady, I, so cool! Pretty, not hate, like.” Hater gushed as Dominator approached him, taking the ring and gently pushing him off the platform for one final time. 

Hater crashed down into a new crater. Peepers ran worriedly to his side. “Sir, sir?” He sighed with a frown. “Oh no, not again. This is going to be a whole thing, isn’t it?” Peepers looked up just in time to see Wander and Sylvia approach. “And I thought it was bad enough with you around.”

“I’ve never seen him react that way to anyone before. Hater really seems to like her, doesn’t he?” Wander asked, looking into the crater. 

Sylvia was worried by Wander’s tone of voice. It wasn’t his usual cheery voice; it wasn’t even his sad voice. It just sounded hopeless and defeated. “Wander, buddy, are you okay?” Sylvia stepped closer and placed a hand on Wander’s shoulder. 

Wander had a large smile on his face when he turned to face her. Sylvia didn’t like the look. She could tell he was forcing it. She hadn’t seen him fake a smile often, but she could tell the difference. There was no joy in it.

“This is perfect, Sylvia! If friendship wasn’t the answer, then clearly I have to get Dominator and Hater to start dating!” Wander stated.

“Wait, what? How would dating Dominator work when dating last time didn’t work for Hater?” Sylvia frowned across the crater at Peepers but he was too preoccupied with Lord Hater to be paying attention to them. Unfortunately, the other villains were starting to gather their wits back after watching the battle play out. “Come on, buddy, let’s get while the getting’s good.” She reached into his hat and pulled out the Orbble juice. Grabbing Wander, she began to Orbble away.

Wander continued with his thoughts. “My love for Hater didn’t work, but he _was_ starting to do good deeds when we were dating. We were just too different and it was a bad time for us.” Wander nodded as though he was trying to convince himself. “This time it will work out great though! They have so much in common. I mean, they both like the colors red and black. They both like skulls. With the two of them together, their love will be strong enough to overcome both of their evilness.”

Sylvia shook her head with a disgruntled sigh. “Or they’ll both become even more evil together. Wander, that sounds like a terrible plan, even worse than the last one that just failed. Besides, why would you want to hook Hater up with someone else? Don’t you still like him?”

“I love him and I always will,” Wander confirmed. “But my other plan didn’t work. I couldn’t make Hater happy again with just himself or with friends. Maybe Hater is the kind of person who just can’t be happy single? Maybe if he’s dating Dominator, that will make him happy again.” Wander’s smile had left his face and he was staring at the stars they passed by. “I just want to see Hater happy again.”

“Even if it’s not with you?” Sylvia asked with a frown. “Even if it makes you unhappy to see him happy with someone else?”

Wander shrugged sheepishly. “Well, he wouldn’t be the first boyfriend I helped set up with another to move on past me. They all ended up happy and I was able to continue, you know, wandering on and doing my thing across the galaxies. Besides, I’ll be happy just if I get to see him happy.” He was trying to keep his composure, but Sylvia could already see the tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. His shoulders were already shaking with the amount of effort he was using to try and choke back his tears.

Sylvia stopped moving. “Oh, buddy, come here.” She pulled Wander into a tight hug. “You’re too selfless for your own good sometimes.”

“I just want to make him happy,” Wander murmured against her, no longer trying to hold back. “Even if it means he’s happy with,” he sobbed loudly against her stomach, “someone else.” His voice broke and he held tightly onto Sylvia. “I wasn’t enough for him.” 

She rubbed at his back and tried to console him as he sobbed his heart out. Sylvia knew Wander still had feelings for Hater, but she hadn’t been aware just how much. “Oh, buddy, if you weren’t enough for him, what makes you think Dominator will be?”

“Did you see how he looked at her?” Wander held onto Sylvia harder, as though he was afraid he was going to lose her to Dominator as well. “Besides, she’s perfect for him! She’s evil, powerful, and she’s a real girl.” He was starting to sob less the more he continued to talk.

“You can be a real girl if you want to,” Sylvia argued as she rubbed at Wander’s face, trying to rub some of the traces of his tears away.

“But I don’t want to. I like being a girl sometimes but not always.” Wander shook his head and pulled a handkerchief out of the hat to blow his nose. “I always thought Hater only liked me because he liked when I was Wanda. But I don’t like being Wanda all the time. I like being Wander too.” 

“Then keep being Wander and Wanda, whenever you feel like it.” Sylvia encouraged. “I like you when you’re both or neither or anyone in between, buddy.”

“Yeah, but Hater only seemed to tolerate me. I never got that look out of him that he gave Dominator today.” Wander hiccupped, fresh tears already brimming in his eyes.

“You know, I think Peepers and I bonded on the battlefield today. It was the strangest thing,” Sylvia mentioned, thinking quickly of something that could distract Wander. “We were able to figure out that we had something in common and we even worked together to rescue you.”

“Really?” Wander looked up at her with a wide grin, his hands pressed together over his heart. His tears were already gone.

“Uh-uh, you get those goo-goo eyes away from me. You’re playing matchmaker already with a doomed couple, so don’t even think about adding anyone else into your weird little ideas of romance.” Sylvia discouraged. “Besides, you know I’m happy being single. I don’t need anyone else in my life but you, Wander.” She hugged him close and nuzzled her head against the hat.

“Aw, Sylvia, you’re the greatest.” Wander hugged her tightly. 

“No, buddy, you’re the greatest.” She turned around and flipped him onto her back using her tail. “So, where to next, buddy? Do you have a place in mind or should we just let the stars guide us?”

“Wherever the stars take us for now, Syl.” Wander nodded in agreement. He glanced behind him at the floating asteroids and pressed a hand to his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this posted, I can now safely say that I will only have one more installment to this series and then an epilogue! The next installment will have three chapters to it and then I'm finished with this series! If you're reading this; thank you so much for sticking around this long with me!  
> As always, feel free to yell at me in the comments (this time for Wander's sake) or on [ my Tumblr](http://aloneindarknes7.tumblr.com/).

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to come talk to me on [my Tumblr!](http://aloneindarknes7.tumblr.com/) I love talking about Wander Over Yonder related things.


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